


Time and Time Again I Will Find You

by CaptainJimothyCarter



Series: Tumblr Prompt Fics [68]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: But mutual loving, Drabble, F/M, Lots of Crying, No Real End, One of many endings here, Steggy - Freeform, Steve loves her, post Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:20:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26780536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainJimothyCarter/pseuds/CaptainJimothyCarter
Summary: Prompt: Have you done their first night together after endgame? Doesn’t have to be sexy times, I just love imagining what happened after their dance in endgame. If you have time, I’d love to read your take!When your supposedly dead ex-lover shows up on your doorstep with talks of aliens and time travel, what is a girl supposed to do but open up her heart and realize just how much she's hurting.
Relationships: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers
Series: Tumblr Prompt Fics [68]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952281
Kudos: 29





	Time and Time Again I Will Find You

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna be honest, I've written so many first nights together that this one isn't my favorite but I like it enough to post it.

Steve swallowed down the last of his coffee, looking at Peggy from across the kitchen table. They’d long closed the front door and drew the blinds, every light off in her house but the one in the kitchen. It felt more like an interrogation than a friendly conversation and Steve suppose he deserves that. Quite frankly, he’d be surprised if Peggy _didn’t_ interrogate him.

Dinner sat in remains, dishes waiting to be washed, a shared pot of coffee between them. The dance had long faded from their minds. Peggy wanted answers and damnit, she was going to get them.

“Let me get this straight,” Peggy said slowly, looking down at the items spread across the table. Steve had taken out pen and paper to jot things down, to help explain this ridiculous process of time traveling to her in the simplest way possible. She looked at the dates and his quickly scrawled handwriting with her tongue between her front teeth. His handwriting had always been the hardest to read, always hurried, like he couldn’t get the words out fast enough. “You’re from the future. You traveled back in time to be with me?”

She wanted to question why but the answer was there. Steve Rogers was exhausted. There was a look in his eyes that told Peggy that. From when she’d open the front door and Steve was there, her teacup still remained on the floor. He looked like her Steve, he was her Steve, just one who had the world on his shoulders far too many times and the effect of the weight had weighed him down until he was a broken man.

She was trying to think of this logical, not emotional. Emotional she wanted to run into his arms. To kiss him, _love_ him. To allow herself happiness she’s avoided and pushed others away from.

“Amongst…other things,” Steve mused, shrugging his broad shoulders. “There’s some promises I intend on keeping that won’t come up until later. There’s a whole…mess we need to figure out together.” Together. The way he said that made Peggy’s heart swell. “We have time.”

He took her hands, slowly reaching over and caressing her delicate fingers in his own. They were calloused than she remembered.

“You’re too tired to talk about it. I’m surprised you got this much out.” Peggy considered leaving everything out, but her luck Howard would be by and they’d made a silent promise not to tell Howard of time travel. Not yet, at least. As to what they’d need to do about Steve and him being alive and here meant for his role, that would be decided later. Right now, Steve deserved his rest. At least for tonight. She’s had enough discussion despite the questions in her mind.

“And you’re sure about Sargeant Barnes?” She picked up the paper Steve had scrawled with the history of James’ time as the Winter Soldier. How close had she been and couldn’t save him? Save Steve.

“Damn sure. It’ll take a week for them to move him to the next location. By then, we can strike and you can cross another base off of your list.” It killed Steve to wait another week but they had no choice. Move too soon, allow himself to be seen and Hydra would know and turn drastic measures. This way, Peggy could slowly get their team together.

One last mission.

“That’s another discussion for tomorrow.” She sighed as she stood up to put the papers away, watching Steve out of the corner of her eye start to clean the dishes. As much as she wanted answers, it will have to wait. She needed to process what in the hell was told her already and wrap her head around the fact Steve was alive.

Silently, she picked up the towel to dry the dishes, taking them from Steve’s hand. He leaned closer to her, his body naturally gravitated towards her, and Peggy sunk against him.

“Your cooking skills have improved,” she noted, making Steve laugh. “No one’s dying of food poisoning.”

Steve rolled his eyes as he dried his hands off and pulled her against his frame, arms around her waist. “One last time, _Agent,_ that was Dugan’s fault for not checking the quality of that boar. Not mine.”

Peggy snorted into his chest and Steve understood when that crying dissolved into tears. He was crying too. Unbelieving they were together at last. That he was here, in her arms. Even if her nails dug into the back of his shirt. Peggy, for her sake, sobbed into him, that dam breaking free. Steve was _here._ He was alive. He’d suffered so much and all she wanted to do was make it right.

Normally she’d complain when he picked her up, but not now. Tonight, she could indulge.

Sitting on the couch, Steve bundled her to his chest and let the soft songs of the record player fill the room. His hands roamed her body, rubbing at her spine, moving down to rub at her calves. Constantly touching to prove they were together.

It took Peggy a lot longer than she’d like to admit to calm down. Emotions were not her thing. She kept them locked behind a wall and properly dealt with them at the shooting range, boxing, or when she was on a field mission. They left her feeling haggard and drained, a hangover effect lingering on her. And Steve through it all was sitting there, holding her, comforting her. It reminded her of how much she missed and the tears threatened to pour once more.

Cupping her cheek, he pulled her down for a soft kiss. Just the barest of kisses, barest of touch. He looked a bit worried as he pulled back and she knew the thoughts in his mind or could guess them – worried he didn’t ask permission.

To prove him wrong, that he could kiss her at any time, she kissed him back, her lips seeking his in desperate means to taste him, taste the lingering coffee on his lips, and the saltiness of her tears on her own.

Steve’s hand moved to cup the back of her head, fingertips starting to undo where she’d carefully pinned her curls this morning. That felt like a lifetime ago. His arm looped around her waist and in turn, her arm moved around his neck, her hand buried in his soft, blonde locks.

They both pulled away, cheeks flushed, and lips were swollen. Steve laughed, pressing their forehead together.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered. “I’ve missed you so much, Peggy.” He cupped her cheek, the pad of his thumb stroking along her jawline.

“You have me now, Steven. I’m not going anywhere.” Phillips would worry if she took off work for a week straight. They were in the threshold of the infancy of Shield. A week off would do more harm than good. “You’ll find I’m quite attached to you.”

“Good, because otherwise, this would be awkward.”

Scooping her up, he carried her up the stairs and sat her on the closed toilet lit. Steve drew Peggy a warm bath, shedding his shirt in the process. She couldn’t help the noise at the sight of the scars. The serum was to prevent the worst scars, but if these had lingered on his skin…? The pain Steve had gone through had been downplayed.

Her fingertips traced around the one on his ribcage and Steve froze, closing his eyes to her touch. He caught her hand and pressed a soft kiss to it.

This was a man who was more confident now than before. This was a man who had loved and lost and suffered and who knew what he wanted while still loving her. He was still her Steve. Still blubbering and struggling and still an idiot at times by the way he put his foot in his mouth over dinner, but he was still hers.

He gave her a silent look, fingertips playing on the end of her blouse before she nodded. No words were needed as they stripped each other layer after layer of clothes. Until they both laid naked in the warm tub. Steve barely fit and it almost drove Peggy to a fit of laughter. She’s cried and laughed more times today than she has in years.

“We’ll have to get a bigger tub if you insist on this,” she chuckled. At his pout, she kissed his bottom lip. “Okay, if _we_ insist on it and I do.”

His arms tightened around her, rubbing a wet hand along her spine. Feeling the curve of her ass, to her neck before trailing back down. A content sigh left her lips as he held her closer and for once, she felt relaxed.

“Don’t think I’m still not upset at you for being late,” she grumbled, in an exhausted voice against his neck. “I’m very peeved, Rogers. Very.”

“I told you, Pegs, I couldn’t call my ride.” She could hear the smile in his voice, but the hint of remorse. She knew. Oh, did she know that pain.

Leaving her in the tub to soak, Steve wrapped a towel around his waist and retreated to her room. He’d cracked a window to allow cool air inside and pulled her covers back. Going into her closet, Steve frowned at the choices of pajamas. Peggy had told him no overkill, something just relaxing. He got the message.

Much as he wanted to….he craved just a night of holding her in his arms for now.

His eyes spotted an Army issues shirt. A _man’s_ shirt. A flare of jealousy he didn’t know even existed caused him to pull the shirt out of the closet, frowning at the name stitched inside.

_Rogers._

She’d kept it? How did she…?

“Dugan and Pinky,” Peggy said behind him, causing Steve to jump in surprise. She looked amused at the idea of scarring a super-soldier. “I should say Colonel Phillips too, given your items were under his watchful eye. It just so happened a photo of your smaller self ended up in my possession and he was not around to tell me where to put it. As well as your…items. A few of your items.” Her throat tightened and her eyes burned, threatened to spill over tears again. She clenched her left hand, nails biting into her palm to prevent herself from crying all over again.

“Dugan and-and Pinky told me they’d stolen it from a government storage facility. Phillips just mysteriously turned a blind eye.” The man was a hard ass. But he meant well, he knew what Steve meant to her. He knew that Steve’s items would be better under her protection rather than in the government’s.

“It’s okay, Peggy,” Steve whispered, kneeling down in front of her to cup her face in his hands. She hadn’t even been aware she was crying, looking away. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I-I mourned for you! I mourned for you and searched and-and…loved you. I _still_ love you. There’s a part of me that’s refusing to believe this is real. That this isn’t some dream caused by my lack of processing of what’s happening. Or-or-or-“ She didn’t get to finish. Steve had pulled her into the longest kiss of her life.

Her eyes parted to see the tears in his eyes.

They’d both had suffered. And she knew once this ‘honeymoon phase’ was over, there would be arguments, spats, discussions, but between them, they could work it out.

She didn’t argue as Steve helped her dress in a soft gown and watched him pull on a pair of boxers she’d bought. Silently, they got into bed and the room fell dark.

Steve’s arms were around Peggy, rolling them over so she was pressed into his side until it was almost uncomfortable but damnit she didn’t care.

“I love you,” he whispered, stroking her damp hair. He should’ve curled it for her, but it was too late. She was far too tight. “Watching you die…was one of the worst moments in my life. I was alone, despite I had friends. I never felt more alone.” And he felt selfish to think that. “I craved our life together. The dreams would haunt me. Your voice, your words. I have loved you from the first moment I saw you and I’m sorry I never got to tell you.”

And she loved him too, she realized. Even before he had crashed into a frozen tundra of a grave. She loved him when he was small to when he was big and arguing with her on the tactics of coming in from the north versus the east. He always argued, pushed her, it drove her insane, but he was helping her see reason, not making her do.

“Steven, darling, shh.” She could hear it, hear him working himself up. The panic rising in his throat. “Hush, darling. We’re here. We’re together now.” They could discuss the finer details of the PTSD that laid behind their choices and actions.

“I love you, Steven and nothing will change that. You’re home now, you can rest.”

Home. Peggy had always been home, hasn’t she? A sense of comfort. A sense he could be himself. He didn’t have to be Captain America or Captain Rogers or a poised diplomatic. He could be _him._ Steve Rogers. A man for so long he hadn’t gotten to figure out just who Steve was. He had time now. They had time now.

After all, he was home.


End file.
